November Yoga-Snack in MS. Forzaglia's class/Brown School, Natick, MA

We started seated in a wide stance butterfly pose (feet not pulled in close to the body) and then relaxed over our legs. Focusing on our breath and with each exhale, allowing the breath to accumulate three fingers below the belly button (a great place to store breath energy)

Class today was centered on finding balance in the crazy holiday season. Things that were mentioned: The setting back of our clocks, which changed the amount of daylight hours, and how that can affect your mood and energy level.; Eating varied foods and eating at different times which can upset your intestinal balance; The desire for certain gifts/the wanting can be unsettling; Changes in the household when guests visit; vacation time and finally because of the colder weather less time out doors and maybe less physical activity.

All of these things can lead to unbalance and the beauty of yoga is that is a very simple way we can bring balance back into our lives. The poses, the breathing, the meditation will help us relax or energize.

Sitting up, we tucked our feet under our bottoms and sat between the two heels (big toes crossed) stretched our arms behind us and pressed our finger tips into the floor-which lifts and opens our chest and opens our hearts for a burst of energy.

Then a modified opposite nostril breathing exercise:
1. Close of the right nostril with the thumb of your right hand.
2. Breath in and out with just the left nostril; repeat but this time on the exhale imagine a murky, swampy green color leaving through your left nostril (good bye to greed and envy); repeat
3. Now let go of right nostril and close off your left nostril with the ring and pinky finger of right hand.
4. Breath in and out with just the right nostril; repeat but this time on the exhale imagine a watery red color leaving through your right nostril (good bye to anger and hate); repeat
5. Let go of both nostrils.
6. Breath in and out with both nostrils; repeat but this time on the exhale imagine a dark, smokey grey color leaving through both nostrils (good bye to the dull, foggy sleepy mind); repeat

"You should now feel light, happy and aware" "Try putting a smile on your face and just see how that makes you feel better"

Cow (inhale) moooooooo to Cat (exhale) Meoooowwwww (hands under shoulder and knees under hips)
Plank (shoulders right over wrists; strong bellies; drop tail)
Side Plank (and for challenge try tree pose leg)
Plank
Down to floor and hissing up and moving spine-Cora Pose
Repeat whole sequence and do side plank on other side
Downward Facing Dog
Walk hands back to Standing Forward Bend back to Downward Facing Dog
Standing Tree Pose-variations of arms
Star Pose to Warrior 1 (I am courageous!) to Warrior 2 (I am Brave!) to Dancing Warrior (I am amazing!) to Extended Side Angle pose (use a good in breath to start to come out of the pose and finish with an exhale). Repeat fro Star Pose and sequence on other side.

A-E-I-O-U Meditation:
Sitting cross legged; pointer finger out and using thumb to hold other fingers curled
I am happy; I am good. I am happy; I am good (Shake pointer fingers)
A-E-I-O (hands together at the belly button) ; A-E-I-O (hands together by the heart) ; A-E-I-O (hands together by the forehead); U (hands reaching up to sky).
Ha-ha-ha-ha (hands together by the forehead) ; He-he-he-he (hands together by the heart) ; Ho-ho-ho-ho (hands together at the belly button) ; Hooooooo (pronounced "who" hands reaching our by the knees).


Sequence:
2 times out loud
2 times whisper
2 times in head (continue hand movements)
2 times whisper
2 times out loud

Namaste! Ole!
Eve

Seeking Balance Though Yoga: The Breath

Everyone feels tension and stress. We see it in adults and we see it in children. As a matter of fact, more and more studies have shown the increase in stress-breathing in elementary aged children. The way that you breathe can exasperate a stressful situation and you need to become more aware of your breathing patterns for better management. Stress-breathers fill their chests with air and use their mouths to breath and they have a large amount of tightness especially in their upper backs.  People who exhibit stress breathing are not using their diaphragms properly and through awareness they can shift out of over-breathing. However, deep breathing is not the answer to stress relief; Quiet, diaphragmatic breathing is the key to both relaxation and good respiration. The goal is to have an even ratio of inhale to exhale. Yoga can help! Through awareness, meditation, movement and creativity, yoga can have a profound effect on your body and mind:

*reduced stress

*sound sleep

*reduced cortisol levels

*improvement of many medical conditions

*allergy and asthma symptom relief

*lower blood pressure

*smoking cessation help

lower heart rate

*spiritual growth

*sense of well being

*reduced anxiety and muscle tension

*increased strength and flexibility

*slowed aging process

Rescue breath:

A very important tool that I have been taught is called “Rescue Breathing”. If you need immediate rescue from your constricted breath try breathing in a 2:2:1 ratio….inhale: inhale: exhale (each inhale is equal in length and the exhale is only ½ of one inhale). In stress breath, you are mostly deprived of a good inhale, so doing this rescue breathing will help to even out your two cycles. Getting your breath out of your chest and into your diaphragm will help immensely. For good yoga breathing, it is not that the belly pushes, instead the diaphragm lifts and allows the belly to fill (think of a beach ball and if you press down in the center of it, the two sides would lift around your hand). The exercise is from the book Conscious Breathing: Breathwork for Health, Stress Release, and Personal Mastery by Gay Hendricks.

Seeking Balance Though Yoga: The Breath

Everyone feels tension and stress. We see it in adults and we see it in children. As a matter of fact, more and more studies have shown the increase in stress-breathing in elementary aged children. The way that you breathe can exasperate a stressful situation and you need to become more aware of your breathing patterns for better management. Stress-breathers fill their chests with air and use their mouths to breath and they have a large amount of tightness especially in their upper backs. People who exhibit stress breathing are not using their diaphragms properly and through awareness they can shift out of over-breathing. However, deep breathing is not the answer to stress relief; Quiet, diaphragmatic breathing is the key to both relaxation and good respiration. The goal is to have an even ratio of inhale to exhale. 

Yoga can help! Through awareness, meditation, movement and creativity, yoga can have a profound effect on your body and mind:

*reduced stress

*sound sleep

*reduced cortisol levels

*improvement of many medical conditions

*allergy and asthma symptom relief

*lower blood pressure

*smoking cessation helplower heart rate

*spiritual growth

*sense of well being

*reduced anxiety and muscle tension

*increased strength and flexibility

*slowed aging process

Rescue breath:

A very important tool that I have been taught is called “Rescue Breathing”. If you need immediate rescue from your constricted breath try breathing in a 2:2:1 ratio….inhale: inhale: exhale (each inhale is equal in length and the exhale is only ½ of one inhale). In stress breath, you are mostly deprived of a good inhale, so doing this rescue breathing will help to even out your two cycles. Getting your breath out of your chest and into your diaphragm will help immensely. For good yoga breathing, it is not that the belly pushes, instead the diaphragm lifts and allows the belly to fill (think of a beach ball and if you press down in the center of it, the two sides would lift around your hand). The exercise is from the book Conscious Breathing: Breathwork for Health, Stress Release, and Personal Mastery by Gay Hendricks.

Day One: THE TARGET ARTS IN-SCHOOL THEATRE RESIDENCY PROGRAM 2010-2011

Day one of my dance residency at the Ellison Parks Early Education Center in Mattapan MA. We have 33 third graders in the program. They were an exuberant group of kids, but even the ones who had difficulty focusing still participated (and there were only a few time outs for the session).

I began the session talking about the seasons of fall and winter and how at this time of year animals hibernate, pets grow fuzzy coats of fur and plant life generate more energy under ground than on top. And i also noted that at this time, we do a to of celebrating. We talked about all the many holidays that are at this time of year, starting with Thanksgiving and moving on to Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and New Years. One child noted we had also just set our clocks back, which led me to talk about the Winter Solstice, which is a day that there is the least amount of day time and the most night time.From that point on, the days just keep getting longer.

Today's class was based solely on yoga. I started them with some deep belly breaths and even led them in Nadi Sodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing). We moved on to asanas (poses), did a rousing version of "Yogini Went To Sea" and did two very successful meditations: my "AEIOU-HAHEHOHU" and "We're The Rockin' Yogis'" I actually had complete silence at times. We ended with Savasana (Corpse Pose).


A very successful day one...looking forward to day two where will explore yoga and "asteya" or generosity...Peace on earth, goodwill to men...

Ole Namaste!

Yoga & Flamenco at the Tobin Montessori School, Cambridge, MA.

I am participating in Dance in the Schools 2010 for Children's Dance Teaching Artists. I was assigned two classrooms at the Tobin Montessori in Cambridge, MA. One group is a Pre-K to K group and the other is a Grades 1& 2 group. What a great way to start off the day; two yoga classes full of fun loving kids.

I started the classes by saying the number one most important thing about yoga is to have fun and that yoga should never hurt. The second most important thing is, here I would take in a big inhale and exhale and say “who knows what I just did?” They responded “Breathing” and I related the fact that breathing is something we do every day all the time; it is what shows that we are alive. Because of that yoga and breathing go hand in hand, that breathing allows us to yoga. We then took some big breaths in where I had them fill their bellies up in the inhale and release on the exhale. I had them notice that at first the air goes in cool, but when we exhale, the air is warm. I had them place their hands over their hearts and feel the beating of their own rhythm.

After warm ups and poses, we had fun dancing and singing to “Yogini Went to Sea” by Shakta Khalsa and then we sat and did my modified version of the chant meditation “I am happy; I am good” (see January 30, 2010). I was inspired right after to go into the a capella version of “We’re The Rockin’ Yogi’s”, too.

I then told the students that we were going to learn a little about a special dance called Flamenco, from Spain. I told them that yoga originated in India and that the original people who created flamenco also originated in India.

I had them practice a bit of foot stamping and then hand movements using the poem from a singer who I know:

Le coje la manzana (You fetch the apple)…Reach up!
Le muerde la manzana (You bite the apple)….Bring the apple past your mouth!
Le tira la manzana (You drop the apple)…Drop the apple!
Le pisa la manzana (You step on the apple)…Stamp your feet!

Then using a Pepe Habichuela and the Bollywoood Strings Orchestra piece, Yerbaguena-Oriente, we twirled, using our hands, stomping our feet. We danced flamenco. We shared our energy.

With a one final Sun Salutation, we lay on the floor and did Savasana.

Namaste! Ole!